Colombian restaurant is open on Madison Avenue in Albany

Update: The restaurant is open. The menu is here. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Call 518-898-9081.

Original post: A Colombia restaurant called Moliendo Cafe is being developed for a late-summer opening at 791 Madison Ave. in Albany, former home to Saigon Pearl restaurant and other businesses. The owners are Luis and Diana Uzhca, who owned Salsa Latina in Albany for eight years before selling it last year.

In a nod to the coffee heritage of the Uzhcas’ native Colombia, the cafe takes its name from the Spanish word for “grinding.” “Moliendo Cafe” is also a Venezuelan song that has become popular around the world.

Luis Uzhca tells me the new cafe’s menu will include bandeja tipica (aka bandeja paisa), a platter of meat, rice, beans and more; the soup/stew called sancocho; plus arepas, empanadas and a variety of other traditional dishes.

The restaurant, which seats about 40, has applied for a license to serve beer and wine.

Albany Common Council member Owusu Anane, who was elected last fall to represent the city’s 10th Ward, says he’s pleased to see yet another restaurant in his district and by how it further adds to the ward’s international cuisine. He tells me:

I’m excited to welcome this restaurant to the Pine Hills, which will contribute to our continued vibrancy and diversity and the growth of our community.